1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a drive device, and particularly to a drive device that employs an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element, electrostrictive element or magnetrostrictive element.
The present invention further pertains to an apparatus equipped with said device, such as an apparatus having an X-Y drive table, a camera, an overhead projector, binoculars, a microscope equipped with a movable object table, and a scanning tunneling electronic microscope having a probe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, various types of drive devices employing an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element have been proposed. For example, in the drive device 1 shown in FIG. 1, a drive circuit 4 is connected to a piezoelectric linear actuator 2, and the piezoelectric linear actuator 2 is operated based on the prescribed output from the drive circuit 4.
Incidentally, because the drive circuit 4 operates regardless of the state of the piezoelectric linear actuator 2, when a problem occurs with regard to the piezoelectric linear actuator 2, a problem also occurs with regard to the power supply to the piezoelectric linear actuator 2. However, because the drive device cannot consider the state of the piezoelectric linear actuator 2 and the abnormality in the piezoelectric linear actuator 2 cannot be output externally, abnormal driving is continued. When abnormal driving is continued, damage to the drive device can result.